A Ghost Hunt and Ghost Investigation are two different situations
all together.
A Hunt is where legend may say
there is a ghost but no evidence has been attained yet so you go to gather this such as filming it, doing e.v.p, photography
and recording other eyewitnessed events. This is usually done in graveyards, churches, older public buildings, and even schools.
An Investigation on the other hand is where there have been
witnessed events taking place, a known haunted spot. Your job and duty is to record these events, interview and research,
and in most cases to validate the haunting so it is known that nothing else could possibly be causing these disturbances.
You are there to not only gather evidence but to support and assist the client through either direct assistance or calling
in someone with more experience to resolve the situation. Your assistance can help the client whether just by education and
teaching them how to deal with what is happening or to go deeper and assist with the removal of the unwanted ghostly guests.
You may encounter what had once been a human who has either
lost his/her way or has remained due to unfinished business or to stay with loved ones who are not yet ready to deal with
this loss. They may also be here still due to guilt or other reasons which through research and interviews may be found. These
type of spirits are as they were when they were living, they can be nice, or mean, just as they were when alive but are normally
not dangerous. This type of haunting is 95% of what most people will encounter. Many encounters are with residual hauntings,
which is where the spirit is replaying a past event such as a war or other occurence which had a big impact on the area. These
are like watching a recording being played over and over again, such as the battle at Gettysburg where many have witnessed
this type of haunting. The other 5% are those which have never been human, these may be dangerous and all steps in encountering
these types should be taken seriously and with care. Blessings and protection should be taken to assure your safety.
When going on an investigation or ghost hunt you should
always bring your I.D and notify the police department and other public officials such as local cemetery divisions of the
town and get necessary forms filled out to gain access. Before a night investigation it is wise to scout out the area and
mark places which could be dangerous so you do not have any unnecessary accidents while in the field. Atleast one of your
team should carry a cellular phone for emergency purposes and any team member who may have a medical problem like in Stacey's
case being diabetic atleast one person should know how to give medicines such as insulin and etc. I always carry a paper telling
how and when to give my shots as well as a bag with all my medical necessities. You should always carry a camera with either
400 or 800 speed film these capture more images and get much better results. Digital cameras are also a good investment, I
myself use a Sony cyber shot, the higher the pixels the better the resolution and you get to view your evidence immediately
instead of waiting for lab processing on regular film, you should also make sure you have a good flash. It is not necessary
but is a good idea to purchase a warranty on your expensive equipment, while in the field many things could happen to ruin
your equipment and having an insurance on them will cover the expensive costs of replacing them, I have already had to replace
one digital camera due to unexplained destruction while on a cemetery hunt. Be sure to let the lab technicians know before
developing your film to develop all exposures no matter how dark they are, many of your best ecto mist pictures can come from
these "bad" shots. Info lithium batteries and rechargeable are best bets on batteries because digital cameras use them up
quickly. Flashlights with extra batteries are very important, you have to see where you are going and you do not want to miss
anything because your batteries have been drained by spiritual energy. Walkie talkies whether expensive or common ones are
good when your group needs to split up into smaller groups to investigate in large areas so you can keep in contact, and in
case of an emergency call in for help. Each group should have one person taking notes so you can write and log all info and
experiences while in the filed and later review with pictures and other evidence. An EMF detector can help in locating electromagnetic
fields, and usually assist when a spirit is close by in letting you know they are there. Having the EMF as well as notes,
pictures and EVP can help in giving the evidence more value. A recorder with an external microphone is used to gather Electronic
voice phenomena, evidence such as voices from spirits, it is good to note when there are ordinary noises such as dogs or cars
passing and the mic is important because the internal mic will pick up sounds of the recorders motors and etc. and make the
tape worthless. You should use high grade tapes when taking EVP to ensure good recordings. A watch is necessary in order to
keep track of times evidence is gathered so you can later cooberate it with others in your team and what evidence they gathered
at the same time, remember you should synchronize your watches before starting. A night shot video camera is best when taping
at night. These may capture apparitions at night in total darkness you would otherwise miss with your own eyes. Motion detectors
are a good piece of equipment to have, they let you know when there is a visitor near in an area you may not be in at that
exact time and give you the opportunity to get to that spot and gather more evidence you would have otherwise missed. It is
best to have jackets and other extra clothing depending on weather conditions hats and gloves may be needed to stay warm.
In some cases candles and matches are necessary when batteries are drained from flashlights and a light source is needed.
Step by Step Procedures
1. Have everyone meet near the location and decide who will
work each piece of equipment and divide into teams if necessary. Pick a person or leader that will talk to anyone who comes
in contact with the group (i.e. Police, Reporters, etc.) Do not load film or tapes yet. 2. Enter the site and either privately
or as a group ask for blessing or protection for the duration of the hunt. What can it hurt? It's better to be safe than sorry.
Many experienced groups believe that there are evil spirits in many areas such as cemeteries and by saying a 10 second prayer
you can safely go about your business without worrying about them. An experienced demonologist will tell you that by doing
this in the name of God or whatever good deity you worship, you will keep any non human spirits at bay since they have to
leave you alone when told so in this manner. You will not provoke an attack by doing this. 3. Walk around the area to get
a feel for the surroundings and allow the spirits to get a feel for you. Do this for about 20 minutes. Log in your start time
and weather conditions and any other relevant information. You can also begin to set up any stationary equipment like camera
on tripods or motion detectors. Make note of any areas that may cause you to get false readings or false positive pictures.
4. Now you can open all your film and tapes and load the cameras and recorders. Now go out there and get some pictures and
recordings. Be sure to note anything unusual that happens especially meter and temperature readings, visual sightings and
strange sounds. Also make notes of any feelings or emotions you feel that may be odd or out of place. You can compare notes
after the hunt and look for similarities in readings and feeling in certain areas or at certain times. 5. Whether you stake
out a spot or you walk around try to give everyone the opportunity to try everything and be everywhere. This keeps every one
fresh and at attention. Rotate a few times during the investigation. 6. When you are done have everyone meet in one spot and
ask the human spirits here not to follow you home and to remain here. Tell the others they must remain here in the name of
God (or other good deities). Again this takes 4 seconds, it's simple and it can save you some problems down the road. If we
are wrong about these prayers at the beginning and end of the hunt and they are not necessary then you wasted 14 seconds of
your time. If we are right about them, you saved yourself from alot of problems and grief.
Additional steps for a house or building ghost hunt/investigation
* Every investigator or team should keep a log of events/times
- everything needs to be logged, not matter how trivial. You sneeze, log it in, it may have sounded like something else to
another member elsewhere in the building. * All members and clients if possible, walk through the location. One members map
location noting: Air vents, heater, electrical appliances, fuse boxes, computer, etc. Mark down the temperatures in the rooms
and any EMF reading you get during this walk through. One member take 5-10 test photos during the walk through. Do not discuss
the details of the case during this walk through. * Any witnesses that have not been interviewed before should be interviewed
by 1-2 investigators and taped/videoed if its OK with the witness. The other members should walk around the location and record
any feelings or observations. Only the interviewers will know the location of events and sightings. * Make no conclusions.
Share no conclusions or opinions with the witnesses or owners until all the reports, photos and tapes are reviewed. You need
to see the evidence and correlate it before you can give an educated opinion.
~~Stacey (founder of N.E.P.S.)
